1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to electrical connectors in which a shiftable member can be inserted into the connector to either provide additional assurance that terminals are properly positioned or seated in the connector housing or can be used to move the terminal into a fully inserted position. More particularly this invention is related to an electrical connector that includes rear secondary locking.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Secondary locks insertable through the rear of an electrical connector have been employed to provide an additional locking surface to secure terminals into a connector housing and to push partially inserted terminals into a fully inserted position. One patent showing a secondary lock of this type is U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,021.
Another type of rear or auxiliary locking member is represented by the connectors shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,398; U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,142; U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,373; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,261. Each of these patents show an electrical connector in which forwardly projecting fingers on a rear auxiliary locking member are deflected inwardly into engagement with terminals by an inclined surface on the main connector housing. Each of these four prior art patents show a series of relatively thin fingers that project forward from a rear body frame. U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,142 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,373 show fingers extending forward from a frame having individual terminal openings and extending into individual housing cavities formed by four walls. The other two connectors employ relatively long and thin detaining fingers. In each case the rear auxiliary locking members are held in position only by latches engaging the sides of the main connector housing. The long thin detaining fingers would be subjected to relatively large stresses induced by column loads when an extraction force would be applied to the terminals or if they are used to push the terminals into the connector housing.
The requirement that excessive stress not be placed on a rear secondary locking member or on a rear secondary lock dictates that the cross sectional area of conventional detaining fingers be as large as possible. This requirement is at odds with the requirement that thin detaining members and thin housing walls be used to reduce the overall size of the connector. For the prior art gaps, providing clearance for the housing walls, must be placed between the detaining fingers and the rear frame member from which they extend, at least in part because the frame is not inserted into the housing. These detaining fingers must then extend from the rear end of the housing to a surface on the terminals engaged by the detaining fingers, or in some cases the depth of the rear frame received within the housing is relatively small.